Electrical controller.



H. A. .STEEN & A. J. LOGUIN.

ELECTRIGAL GONTROLLER.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. a, 1907.

Patented June 1, 1909.

ATTOR'NEY UNITED STATES T'PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY A. STEEN, OF EDGEWOOD, AND ALEXANDER J. LOGUIN, OF WILKINSBURG, PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY.

A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL CONTROLLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 1909.

Application filed September 3, 1907. Serial No. 391,241.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY A. Smart, a subject of the King of Norway, and ALEX- ANDER J. Locum, a subject of the Czar of Russia, residents, respectively, of Edgewood and of WVilkinsburg, in. the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electric Controllers, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electrical .con-

trollers and similar devices, and particularilyv means for accentuating the initial and running positions, such that the controller can-' not normally remain in an intermediate position. Such means, however, do not usually accentuate the positions suificiently to prevent accidental movement of the controller beyond a position at which it may be desired to stop, as, for instance, the initial or off position to which the controller must be returned when it is desired to stop the motor governed thereby.

The present invention provides a very simple and eifective 'device for preventing continuous movement of a controller past the off or another predetermined position, all possibility of accidentally reversing a motor, or of effecting other undesired results, being thereby .avoided.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a plan view of a portion of the top of a controller constructed in accordance with our invention, and Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional view on the line II-II of Fig. l.

Rigidly secured to the upper end of a shaft 1 that projects through a casing 2 for the operating parts of the controller, and by means of which the movable circuit controlling parts are operated, is an actuating crank arm 3 that carries a handle 4 at its outer free end. Extending through the handle 4 is a rod 5 that carriesalatch 6 at its lower end and is provided with a head or button 7 at its upper movement of a con-- handle by a helical compression spring 8,

by means of which it, and the pawl 6, are normally maintained in the position indicated. When the latch 6 occupies its normal position it engages one of a series of notches .10 with which the downwardly turned flange 9 of a dial plate 11 is provided, said dial plate bearing, upon its upper face, position-indicating numbers or characters 12, respectively disposed opposite the,notches'1O in the flange 9.

Pivotally mounted upon a trap bolt 18, that is screwed into the under side of the dial plate 11 is a dog 14: comprising two projections 15 and 16 having rounded in her and straight outer edges, and an intermediate recess 17. The projections 15 and 16 project into the path of movement of the latch 6 when it is maintained in its lowermost position, as shown in broken and dotted lines, and the recess 17. is provided forthe reception of the latch when the arm 3 occupies the position shown in the drawing, which ma be the initial or oil position, or an 0t ier predetermined position.

Surrou'n inga sleeve 18 upon the dog 14 is a helical torsion spring 19 the extremities of which are crossed and disposed upon opposite sides of two lugs 20 and 21, respectively upon the dog and the under side of the dial plate, the arrangement being such that the dog may be moved in either direction from the position shown, and it will be returned thereto by the spring. The dog 14 is limited in its movements by means of stops or lugs 22 and 23 which are disposed at opposite sides thereof upon the lower face of the dial plate.

- In order to move the controller from its initial position, it is first necessary to. move the latch 6 from engagement with the notch 10 in which .it rests by pressing the head 7 downwardly against the action of the spring 8, and to then move the arm 3 in the desired direction. WVhen the latch 6 is lowered to the position shown in broken and dotted lines, it occupies the recess at 17 in' the dog of the projections 15 or 'troller beyond its initial or in the path ofmovement of, the latch havthereof, means for limiting the movements of the dog, and means for normally. mainapart to permit of such movement of the dog. hen the arm 3 is returned to the position shown, the latch 6 engages the straight, outer edge; of the one or the other 16 and moves the dog into engagement with the one or the other of the stops 22 and 23, whereupon further movement of the arm in the same direction is prevented unless and. until'the latch 6 is permitted to return to the position shown in full lines by releasing the pressure upon the button 7. It is thus seen that the controller may not be moved through its initial or or position, or through another predetermined position, witheut releasing the pressure upon the button 7 and again applying pressure. thereto, which operations, 0 course, require some hesitation in the movement of the handle and thus prevent too sudden reversal of the connections of a motor or other device governed by the controller. Accidental movement of the conofi' position, with the resulting undesired-reversal of the motor connections, is also preventedby the means above set forth.

It will, of course, be understood that the invention may. be employed inconnection with other devices than electrical controllers, and that the structural details and arrangement of the parts may be varied within wide limits from what has been shown and described, without departing from its spirit.

\Ve claim as our invention: I

1. In a controller, the combination with a movable arm, a latch and means for actuating the same carried by the arm, and a position-determining member with which the latch is adapted to engage, of a pivoted dog ing projections adapted to engage the latch and an intermediate recess for the reception taining thedog in an intermediate position.

2. In a controller, the combination with a movable arm, a spring-actuated latch and a spring-overcoming means carried by the arm, and a position-determining member with which the latch engages when springactuated, of a stop for arresting the arm at a predetermined point until the latch is successively actuated by the spring and in opposition thereto.

3. In a controller, the combination with an arm having a spring-sustained and manually depressed latch adapted to be moved in either direction from a predetermined position, of a pivoted stop adapted to be engaged by said latch, when depressed, to

arrest and retain the arm in said predetermined position, until released and again depressed.

4. In a controller, the combination with a movable arm, a latch and means for actuating the same carried by the arm, and position-determining member with which the latch is adapted to engage, of a pivoted dog at a predetermined position in the path of movement of the latch whereby movement of the arm past the said predetermined position'is prevented except by causing engagement of the latch with and subsequent disengagement thereof from the position,

determining member.

5. In a controller, the combination with an operating arm having a manually actuated. latch, of a position-determining member with which the latch is adapted to engage, when released, and a stop device in position to be engaged by the latch when the arm is rotated and serving to prevent further movement of the arm until the latch is released and again manually actuated.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 26th day of August, 1907.

HARRY A; STEEN. ALEXANDER J. LOGUIN.

Witnesses:

It. C. Boozer, BmNnY HIN'ES. 

